Mr. Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, said that Ukraine has participated in the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran, and warned that Tehran has the right to take retaliatory actions.
In a post on social network X on March 14, Mr. Azizi said that Kiev's support for air defense capabilities and drone technology for Israel or partners in the region could make the entire territory of Ukraine a legitimate target of attack.
According to Mr. Azizi, if Ukraine provided "drone support to the Israeli regime", this country would have directly participated in the conflict. He cited Article 51 of the United Nations Charter - stipulating the right to self-defense - to argue that Iran could respond if its security interests were threatened.
In the past 2 weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly hinted that Kiev is ready to participate in supporting partners in the Middle East against drone attacks that Iran is accused of being behind.
Mr. Zelensky said that the US has asked Ukraine to support the protection of Gulf allies from the risk of attacks targeting US military facilities in the region. Some Middle Eastern countries are also said to have contacted Kiev to seek cooperation.
The Ukrainian leader said he had directed "providing the necessary means and deploying Ukrainian experts to ensure security".
This week, Mr. Zelensky also revealed that he had reached an agreement with several Middle Eastern countries on the sale of drone interception systems manufactured by Ukraine, and sent experienced air defense teams to support.
Initially, US President Donald Trump was open to Kiev's support offer, saying that Washington was ready to "receive any support" in the confrontation with Iran.
However, in an interview with Fox News later, Mr. Trump denied the possibility of needing support from Ukraine in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle defense.
We don't need their help with drone defense. We understand drones better than anyone. The US has the best drones in the world," Mr. Trump said.
The statement of the Iranian official showed that the conflict in the Middle East is at risk of spreading to other regions if more countries participate in military support for the parties involved.
If Kiev actually provides technology or air defense experts to countries confronting Iran, relations between Tehran and Ukraine could fall into a round of direct confrontation - something that has never happened before.
